Manufacturers of glass sheets, particularly glass sheets formed into various curved shapes for use as automotive windshields, backlites, and sidelites, are interested in measuring and evaluating the amount of optical distortion in the formed sheets that might be perceived by a human observer, such as the operator or passenger in a vehicle in which the glass may be mounted as the windshield, backlite, or sidelite.
Various types of glass sheet optical inspection systems are known. One known optical inspection system is disclosed in United States Application Publication No. 2012/0098959 A1, which application is also assigned to the assignee of the invention disclosed herein. This disclosed optical inspection system acquires images of a pre-defined, contrasting pattern transmitted through the glass sheet, and may be implemented in either a laboratory (i.e., off-line) or an in-line configuration in which the inspection system is mounted to inspect glass sheets as they are being conveyed in a processing system, such as, for example, a glass sheet heating, bending and cooling system.
The optical characteristics of a glass sheet may also be measured by acquiring and analyzing image data corresponding to the image of a pre-defined, contrasting pattern that is reflected from one of the surfaces of the glass sheet. Thus, it is desirous for at least this purpose to develop a system and method for quickly acquiring data corresponding to the surface of a glass sheet and analyzing the acquired surface data to assess and report on the optical characteristics of the glass sheet, particularly as the glass sheet is being transported on a conveyor between or after bending, cooling, or other processing operations.